Simply Be a Christian

Psalm 32:1-5

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.

I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

When Martin Luther, in his Large Catechism says, "When I urge you to go to confession, I'm simply urging you to be a Christian," he crystallizes something very simple for you to know. Being a Christian is not an achievement. It isn't a good conduct label or something socially favorable to help people believe you are nice or a good person. It's none of those things.

Simply said, being a Christian is to confess-to be a confessor of the truth about yourself and about God who makes himself known in Jesus Christ.

The Christian says of himself, "I am nothing but a horrible sinner, and nothing can be found in me except rebellion against God and death. "I know that in my flesh lives no good thing."

Of Christ, however, I say this. He is God in human flesh. He is the very righteousness of God and Life and Truth.

Only by faith, can we know just how miserable our sinful condition is before God, and only by faith can we know how pure and gracious is Christ, our God. That faith is worked in us by God's Word.

So what is confession? Confession has two parts. The first is that we acknowledge our sins, and plead guilty across-the-board even of those transgressions of which we may not be aware. We do this in the Lord's prayer, saying "Forgive us our trespasses."

You may also go to your pastor and confess the burden of those sins privately. But confession is also receiving the forgiveness of God, believing fully that the pardon pronounced by the pastor privately or in the Divine Service is from God himself.

The Christian will not doubt but firmly believe that by this absolution his sins are forgiven.

St. John says it most beautifully, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Are there any sweeter words or a more liberating assurance than to hear God's messenger declare, "I forgive you all your sin's in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."? Yes, they are forgiven! You are forgiven - forgiven all - in Jesus Christ.